OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking the high road on a letter from his Conservative predecessor Stephen Harper that says the current federal government has been caught “napping on NAFTA.”
READ MORE: Stephen Harper says Liberals are ‘napping on NAFTA’ negotiations
Trudeau refused Monday to address the letter directly, citing his ongoing respect for the office of the prime minister and its previous occupants. Instead, he delivered a familiar sales pitch on the current government’s efforts to secure a better, more modern trade agreement.
“We have continually made the extremely strong case to the Americans about how important trade with Canada is, how many good jobs in the U.S. depend on trade with Canada, and how we are very much of the view that we can improve and modernize NAFTA in a way that can benefit all three of our countries,” Trudeau told a news conference.
WATCH ABOVE: The five ‘poison pills’ that Canada says will kill NAFTA talks. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has criticized at least five issues that the U.S. has proposed.
“We will continue to work diligently to stand up for Canadian interests while remaining constructive and firm around the negotiating table.”
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Harper’s letter excoriated the Liberal government for what he described as a cavalier approach to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom the former prime minister is convinced is not bluffing when he threatens to abandon the trade pact.
What’s more, Harper wrote, Canada has been too quick to reject American proposals, and has alienated the U.S. by insisting on negotiating alongside Mexico, and by promoting progressive priorities like labour, gender, aboriginal and environmental issues.
“I fear that the NAFTA re-negotiation is going very badly,” Harper wrote in the Oct. 25 letter.
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“We will continue to work diligently to stand up for Canadian interests while remaining constructive and firm around the negotiating table.”
Harper’s letter excoriated the Liberal government for what he described as a cavalier approach to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom the former prime minister is convinced is not bluffing when he threatens to abandon the trade pact.
WATCH: NDP demand Liberals to stand up against U.S. bully tactics
What’s more, Harper wrote, Canada has been too quick to reject American proposals, and has alienated the U.S. by insisting on negotiating alongside Mexico, and by promoting progressive priorities like labour, gender, aboriginal and environmental issues.
“I fear that the NAFTA re-negotiation is going very badly,” Harper wrote in the Oct. 25 letter.